Understanding Coryanthes

[islaverde]

Do all Coryanthes go dormant even when in their native habitat, or when conditions continue to favor growth?

I got a Coryanthes leuococorys that has lost ALL its leaves, and despite that, has now put out a spike! weird. The Cory grown next to it, Coryanthes huntleya is still happily growing with nice green leaves.

I try to grow them wet; from what I read from the internet. One of them is literally swimming in a wad of wet sphagnum moss!

[Gin]

Hi I have a few of them Coryanthes picturata , ,Coryanthes leferenzianum ,Coryanthes alborosea ,Coryanthes fieldingii . I have heard they go dormant , but none of these have , they do lose some of the old leaves but not all . I did lose one due to keeping it to wet .
Mine are in slat baskets with slats removed only have 2 slats on the bottom they are in /on a mound of Spag . watered in the am . If they are getting dry .If over cast and gloomy /raining out , then not .
Since I don't have the one you do I can't say if it is one that goes dormant , I have read the same info.that you have .. confusing ... . Gin

[Shadow]

I heard that they don't get dormant. I have one - speciosa - for about a year, and it is always growing.

[Manfred Busche]

Subject: Understanding Coryanthes.

Hello there,
I have some 20 plants and, furthermore, have read the monograph of the genus by Dr. G. Gerlach.

I am trying to contribute to the subject as follows.

---------------- ! Coryanthes plants need warmth (not heat though) ! ----------------

In nature, a Coryanthes plant always grows its many roots into and throughout an ants nest sitting moderately high in
a tree. Such a nest ('carton nest') is made by the relevant ants from a variety of organic materials, and the fast-growing Coryanthes plant is dependent on the nutrients it draws from these organic materials. These ants nests can reach 60 cms in diameter,
and an adult Coryanthes plant can have bulbs 16 cms high, 60 of them, and leaves 50 cms long.

In nature, most Coryanthes species occur along the tropical atlantic and carribean rim and around the Amazon Basin. Coryanthes plants do not seasonally shed their leaves, as for example Catasetum plants do.


In cultivation, you and me should make sure that the compost is moderately acidic (PH4), loose, moist and fertile at all times; hence it is a good idea to use best-quality Sphagnum, mixed with 'Perlite' for looseness.
This compost should not be PRESSED into the pot or basket of a Coryanthes plant -to get in as much as possible as it were- because "looseness" is what the plant requires.

Renew this compost every 1 year (!),
because decomposed Sphagnum is destructive for the roots of any epiphytic orchids, and with its roots in decomposing material, the Coryanthes plant will soon shed its leaves one by one and decline.

Keep the compost moist at all times, not WET, and fertilise thoroughly with 150 ppm every day using mineral fertliser, something equivalent to PETERS 30-10-10 - but no organic fertiliser (BAD). -- If you do sloppy fertilising, then your Coryanthes plant will be doomed ...

I have read on these pages, that people add odd things such as Lemmon Juice, Epsom Salts, Dish Soap, when watering their plants; "PLEASE DO NOT" ...

Light: give as much as the plant can stand, but adapt the plant to higher light levels over several weeks. Target : direct morning sun until 10 a.m. is good for the plant. Fertilise in the afternoon, when the light is dull.

If the cultivator falls short on the requirements outlined above, the plant will shed its leaves one by one and resort to consuming the nutrients stored in its pseudobulbs - until the plant has died after a few months and nothing is left but some ugly dry stuff ...

Leaves going yellow: change compost immediately, give water and fertilise.

Cheers , MANFRED.

PS: Flowers of Coryanthes, Catasetum, Stanhopea, are wonders of Plant Evolution ...
To admire Coryanthes Flowers, you might go to
[url=http://www.botanik.biologie.uni-muenchen.de/botgart/e/research/gg_species.html]

[Gin]

Thank You for the information, it is very much appreciated .
Gin

[Stasisgate]

I had a coryanthes for a few years and it finally decided to flower but it dropped 3/4 of all the leaves it had. It's a coryanthes macrantha and i never heard of one do that before.

It was initially growing in drier conditions but since I changed media and watering it has grown into a giant specimen. Could the dropping of the leaves be related to disease or habit?

[Manfred Busche]

Hello.
Coryanthes macranta is not deciduous, if well maintained.
A plant not well maintained will die slowly, over several weeks...
First the leaves will fall, then the bulbs will dry-up one by one...

[Stasisgate]

It has over 30 bulbs, 1 foot leaves, never flowered before and this all happened within the last month. The plant has stopped dropping the leaves and has pushed out 4 spikes.

But does anyone know if Coryanthes macrantha is deciduous?

[Stasisgate]

Hmmm... the thing is Manfred, some of the leaves dropped, but the bulbs and roots are healthy.

[Manfred Busche]

Subject : Understanding Coryanthes.
-----------------------------------

Hello there .

In the wake of the World Orchid Conference 2011 held in Singapore, I have upgraded
my contribution to this old thread ...

It is to try to give assistance to any or all of those orchid aficionados
who have purchased one or more Coryanthes plants there.

Good growing ,
Manfred.